NOSM University is saddened by the attack on Israel’s civilian population. We affirm human rights and condemn all forms of violence and terrorism around the globe. We share grief for the loss of life and extend our deepest condolences to those suffering and those impacted by this devastation. NOSM University calls for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
‘From my heart’
Meet Chantae Robinson, medical student and champion of Black-owned business in the North
Chantae Robinson has one word for you: “love.”
“Everything that I do is an expression of love for others,” says Chantae, before heading back into the operating room.
The third-year NOSM University medical student—born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica— moved to Sudbury at the age of 16. She is the current president of the Afro-Heritage Association of Sudbury (AHA). Among many other things, AHA manages a program funded by FedNor called the Northern Ontario Black Economic Empowerment Program (NOBEEP), which serves to encourage and support Black entrepreneurs and Black-owned businesses in the North.
“One of the things I’ve noticed coming from Jamaica is that a good lifestyle was much more challenging to achieve in Jamaica,” says Chantae. “There is a lot of poverty there. When I came to Sudbury and I saw the abundance of resources in Canada, I immediately started to appreciate the opportunities, but also to see the contrast.”
“Poverty leads to poor health,” says the doctor-in-training. “What we aim to do with NOBEEP is empower people to get themselves into a position where they can sustain their lives. When a person is optimizing their gifts and time, their overall wellbeing is improved.”
This holistic approach to health care parallels Chantae’s personal philosophy on life.
“For me, the work I do is from my heart,” she says. “How I view humanity and our duties to each other is that we’re here in this world as a community, all of us. The more that we can help each other, the more we uplift each other, the more we work according to love, the better everyone will be.”
As for her future career path, Chantae aspires to be a general surgeon working in a Northern community, where, she says, “I can engage not only in health care, but also in other areas of community development that I am passionate about. Northern Ontario is the ideal environment to fulfill these purposes.”
NOSM University learners and alumni are internationally recognised for their outstanding commitment to advocacy, health equity, and social accountability. The work of these exceptional leaders—like Chantae–is rooted in, and co-created with, community.
In Dr. Sarita Verma’s latest President’s Report, we turn our minds to the cornerstone of our work: Health Equity.
🔗 report.nosm.ca
NOSM University researchers awarded $1.5 million to study health effects of low-dose radiation
NOSM University researchers and partners have been awarded a prestigious Alliance grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), valued at $1.5 million over five years.
The grant will fund several highly specialized projects. These include constructing a custom experimental chamber, designed specifically for studying the respiratory effects of low-level radon gas exposure. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in the air we breathe, and the biological effects of long-term low dose exposures remain unknown.
The NSERC Alliance grant will also continue to support research in the Life Sciences Laboratory at SNOLAB focused on genetic effects caused by the absence of radiation. Specialized equipment allows researchers to understand the role of natural radiation and cellular changes that can lead to cancer or cell death.
NOSM University research at SNOLAB is also currently funded by the Canadian Space Agency and NASA, and the combined research supports the understanding of life on earth and in outer space.
“NOSM University researchers are recognized as experts in the field of health effects of low-dose radiation from natural and human-made exposures,” says Dr. Christopher Thome, NOSM University Assistant Professor and principal investigator on the projects. “This grant will build on significant research accomplishments that have supported the training of numerous students and scientists over the past ten years.”
The research team consists of Dr. Thome as well as co-investigators Drs. Doug Boreham, Suji Tharmalingam, TC Tai, and Simon Lees, Australian collaborators Drs. Dani Dixon and Tony Hooker, students at Laurentian University, and partners at the Nuclear Innovation Institute, Bruce Power, and Cameco Corporation.
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NOSM University is Canada’s first independent medical university and one of the greatest education and physician workforce strategy success stories of Northern Ontario. More than just a medical university, it was purpose-built to address the health needs of the region. Through its distributed model, the university works alongside many underserved communities across the North, and contributes to the economic development of Northern Ontario. NOSM University relies on the commitment and expertise of the people of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and other underserved communities. With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, NOSM University is an award-winning, socially-accountable organization renowned for its innovative model of community-engaged education and research.
For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca.Laurentian University (Akinomaagegamik) serves over 8,000 students on its campus in Sudbury, Ontario, and is one of two bilingual universities in the province of Ontario. Committed to its bilingual, tri-cultural mandate, Laurentian University offers an outstanding university experience in English and French with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education.
For further information, please contact communications@laurentian.ca.
